Shroud for an electrical connector block

ABSTRACT

A shroud for an electrical connector block comprising three elements of insulating material, two of the elements defining a generally hollow housing shell having a forward portion to receive an electrical connector block and a rearward cable clamping portion. Each of the two elements has its rearward portion latching means adapted to engage complementary latching means on the other element. The third element is hollow and has a rearward portion which receives the other two elements which define the hollow housing shell.

United States Patent Teagno et al.

SHROUD FOR AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR BLOCK Inventors: Vladimiro Teagno; Luigi Campari,

both of Turin, Italy Assignee: AMP Incorporated, Harrisburg, Pa.

Filed: May 12, 1972 Appl. No.: 252,807

Foreign Application Priority Data May 24, 1971 Italy 24916 A/7l U.S. Cl. 339/107, 339/208 Int. Cl H011 13/58 Field of Search 339/59, 63, 103 C,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS Bruner 339/208 X Baker et al 339/206 R X Pulloh 339/206 L X Dec. 25, 1973 3/1969 Ritchie 339/208 X 3,432,802 3,569,914 3/1971 Taylor 339/107 FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 1,212,684 11/1970 Great Britain 339/59 R 58,588 12/1946 Netherlands 339/196 R Primary Examiner-Marvin A. Champion Assistant Examiner-Lawrence .l. Staab AttorneyWilliam J. Keating et al.

[5 7 ABSTRACT A shroud for an electrical connector block comprising three elements of insulating material, two of the elements defining a generally hollow housing shell having a forward portion to receive an electrical connector block and a rearward cable clamping portion. Each of the two elements has its rearward portion latching means adapted to engage complementary latching means on the other element. The third element is hollow and has a rearward portionv which receives the other two elements which define the hollow housing shell.

1 Claim, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTEDUECdS 1915 3.7815 766 sum 10F 2 SHEET 2 BF 2 PATENTEH DEC 25 I975 SIIROUD FOR AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR BLOCK The invention relates to a shroud for protecting an electrical connector block having contacts received in passageways extending between opposite faces of the block, parts of the contacts protruding from one of the faces and lead wires from the other of the faces.

It is known to protect such an electrical connector block using a shroud secured to the block by screws or the like for which tooling is required. The invention concerns a shroud which may be secured to the block without screws or tooling.

A shroud for an electrical connector block, according to this-invention, comprises three elements of resilient electrically insulating material, two of the elements being adapted together to define a generally tubular housing shell having a forward portion to receive an electrical connector block and a rearward cable clamping portion for clamping a cable feeding wires to the electrical connector block, each of these two elements having at its rearward portion latching means adapted to engage complementary latching means on the other of the two elements the third element being tubular, a forward portion of the housing shell being receivable within a rearward portion of the third element, the forward portion of the housing shell and the rearward portion of the third element having complementary latching adapted to interengage upon relative movement of the housing shell axially into the third element.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying partly diagrammatic drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an electrical connector block and a shroud;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the inner surface of an element of the shroud of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view of the shroud and the block I a forward face 6 of the block 4 and a cable -7 feeds 1 wires 8 to the rearward parts of the contacts at the rearward face 9 of the block. The block has end flanges 10 having screw apertures for receiving jack screws 11 for clamping the block 4 to a complementary electrical connector block, shown in ghost outline in FIG. 3. The jack screws 11 extend away from the block face 9.

The elements 1 and 2 are generally similar in shape and together define a housing shell, as explained below. Each element has a floor part 12 comprising a generally rectangular forward portion 13 which narrows to a generally trapezoidal rearward portion 14. The floor part has opposite upstanding side walls 15 which converge at the rearward end of the floor part 12 and are joined by an end wall 16. Each side wall 15 has a depression 17 of generally semi-circular cross-section for receiving a jack screw 11 in the manner explained below. Intermediate its ends the outer surface of the floor part 12 has a flange 18 having a finger recess 19. The forward portion 13 of the floor part 12 has two spaced apart keyhole-type slots 20 having a major slot part 20a and a minor slot part 20 b.

A further end wall 21 is located beyond the end wall 16 of the element 1 and defines with that end wall and the side walls 15 a cavity 22 for receiving a clamp block 23 secured to the end portion of the cable 7. Two latch arms 24 stand up from the rearward corners of the cavity 22 and have rearwardly directed latch fingers 25, dimensioned to extend to the further end wall 21.

In the case of the element 2 the end wall 16 has inner corner block-like extensions 26, FIG. 2, above the floor part 12 and immediately below the extensions 26 the floor part has slots 27.

The end walls 16 and the further end wall 21 have semi-circular depressions to facilitate reception of the cable 7.

'The third element 3 comprises a thin walled hollow block of generally rectangular cross-section. Intermediate the ends of the block the floor and roof of the element 3 each have two spaced latching elements 28 adapted to engage the slots 20 ofa respective element 1 and 2. Each latching element comprises a main block 29 having a rearward ramp portion 30 of the same width as the block 29 and a forward ramp portion 31 of relatively reduced width.

The wired connector block 4 is located in the forward portion 13 of the element 1 with the jack screws 11 resting in the depressions l7 and-the clamp block 23 secured to the cable 7 is received in the clamp cavity 22. The element 2 is then inverted to the'condition shown in FIG. 1 and advanced forwardly from the rear of the element 1 until its forward portion 13 overlies the corresponding portion of the element 1. This movement causes the'latch fingers 25 of the element 1 to be received in the gap between the block extensions 26 and the slots 27 of the element 2 so engaging the elements 1 and 2 together to define a housing shell. The assembly so formed is then advanced to be passed inwardly of the third element 3 to latch the elements 28 in the keyhole slots 20. This latching engagement is facilitated by the ramp portions 30 which guide the elements 28 so that the main block 29 is received in the main slot part 20a and the forward ramp 31 in the slot tail 20b. The connector 4 has thus been shrouded by the elements 1, 2 and 3 without the use of tools and with little increase in overall thickness, the contacts 5 being protected by the forward part of the element 3. The shrouded connector block 4 may be engaged with a complementary connector block using the jack screws 11.

The shroud may be removed from the connector block 4 by applying finger pressure to the opposite depressions 19 in the elements 1 and 2 with one hand and urging together the side walls of the third elements 3 with the other so bowing apart the roof and floor of the third element and allowing the housing shell to be removed from the third element 3. The elements 1 and 2 may be separated by sliding them apart longitudinally to remove the latch fingers 25 from the gap between the blocks 26 and the slots 27.

We claim:

1. A shroud for an electrical connector block comprising three elements of resilient electrically insulating material, two of the elements being half shells adapted together to define a generally hollow housing having an enlarged connector block receiving forward portion and a rearward cable clamping portion of restricted size, one of the half shells having at its rearward portion latching arms engageable with complementary latching slots on the other of the half shells, the third element being a hollow sleeve, the interior of the rear of the sleeve being of larger cross-sectional size than the forward portion of the housing to receive said housing forward portion within the sleeve, the forward portion of the housing and the interior of the rear of the sleeve having complementary latching detents and slots interengageable upon relative movement of the housing axially into the sleeve. 

1. A shroud for an electrical connector block comprising three elements of resilient electrically insulating material, two of the elements being half shells adapted together to define a generally hollow housing having an enlarged connector block receiving forward portion and a rearward cable clamping portion of restricted size, one of the half shells having at its rearward portion latching arms engageable with complementary latching slots on the other of the half shells, the third element being a hollow sleeve, the interior of the rear of the sleeve being of larGer cross-sectional size than the forward portion of the housing to receive said housing forward portion within the sleeve, the forward portion of the housing and the interior of the rear of the sleeve having complementary latching detents and slots interengageable upon relative movement of the housing axially into the sleeve. 